Historic Battles of XWA

 

 

Since the very beginning of XWA, the alliance had to fight many battle just to survive. To many in fact to record all of them, most being skirmishes.  However there have been some epic battles that require a more then just a few little lines.  This is a collection of such battles that go from the time the alliance was just form to final victories over Duke, (highly suggested that you read the Histories of XWA).  The viewpoint to these battles will generally be on the flagship of the fleet that engaged hostile targets, or a narrative.

 

Battle of Tueton

 

The Sun had just risen on the capital world of Tueton.  It was to be a fine glorious day of rest for wary soldiers who have had no stop fighting for the past months.  This however was not to be the case.  Early that morning a report arrived that within six days 6 raiding fleets would arrive at the planet, with intentions of devastating the planet.  The enemy consisted of thousands of warships more then the tired fleet of Tueton could handle alone.  Immediately word was send out to allied worlds to send help, leave for all soldiers were cancelled and the fleet was placed on alert status one (1 being at war, 5 being at peace).

 

Two days before the battle allied ships arrived at the planet.  Lord Leto then moved on board the Nova, a mark II battleship, and flagship of Tueton’s fleet.   Patrols in the outlier system found the jump gate, which the raiding fleet would enter, the system.  The fleet was soon dispatched to the coordinates so they could ambush the fleet and make this a simple mission.  That was not to be as the fleet approached the first enemy fleet arrived and battle engaged.

 

The vanguard fleet of the enemy only consisted of a fighters, frigates and corvettes. Allied battleships, and cruisers moved into engage the frigates, while fighters engaged each other.  Lancer class war frigates formed a sphere to protect the spiders from enemy interceptors. 

 

The enemy commander seeing that his fleet was lost decided to do as much damage and hope to last until the reinforcements could come.  Raptor class interceptors, favorite fighter for the tuetonic knights, wove in and out of the capital ships chasing down enemy fighters.  Since this was their home planet the forces of Tueton held nothing back, some after ramming enemy ships with their last once of strength before they died.

 

An hour later, the first raiding fleet meet its end, but the battle was not over, more vessels were to come through the portal any minute.  However this time allied forces had even more time to give a surprise to the enemy.  Admiral Messina arranged the fleet into a “U” facing the jump gate. 

 

One by one the enemy fleet jump in system and before their shields could come up spiders and tarantulas fired their EMP pulse canons disabling the ships.  The battle soon became a turkey shoot as each enemy ship was destroyed and survivors taken prisoner.

 

Then the bulk of the enemy force arrived with 5 battleships, 20 war cruisers, 30 destroyers, 50 frigates, and to many fighters to count.  Seeing so many ships arrayed against them Admiral Messina called her forces to retreat until the enemy was beyond the asteroid belt.  Seeing an easy victory the raider’s commander pushed onwards and was didn’t bother to scan the system.  The fleet was pushed back to the planet, and the raiders close behind when the trap was sprung.

 

Hidden behind the asteroids were a hundred Excalibur class ghosts.  With their cloaking shields up the enemy never saw them come from behind until it was to late.  That was not all; another allied fleet hid behind the planet and used the planets gravity to increase speed and arrive quicker then would have been possible.  The true force of XWA was then shown at the final stage of the battle for Tueton.  A force of thousand capital ships and many more fighters quickly destroyed the raiding force.  A particular pilot of a Raptor claims in a news report stated “I flew so close to the enemy flagship when the ghosts opened fire, that I saw the commanding officer drop his mouth and begin to cry.”  This report has never been verified although it is believed that the enemy commander lost his nerve, as when the trap was sprung the enemy fleet lost all cohesion and even fired upon their own ships.

 

The next day a huge ceremony occurred on the capital.  The Heroic soldiers of the alliance were given the first medal.  Parades were held, and services for those that fell in service.  Peace reigned that day but the war still on.  But on that day the soldiers were able to see exactly what they were fighting for.

 

The battle of Tueton was the first major battle XWA fought.   It showed that the alliance was capable of coming together in time of need and over come and adversity that faced them.  For the first time an extremely successful mission was carried out with no flaws.  This began the tradition of excellent defense that is a trademark of the alliance.

 

Battle of Daggerfall

 

After the attack by raiders on Tueton, alliance officials decided to send out spies to find the location of their base.  After many months it was discovered that they had a base of operations in a sector of space know as Daggerfall.  This particular battle report comes from the log of Lieutenant Kevin Jedis an interceptor pilot stationed on board the War Cruiser Valiant.

 

I had just finished eating breakfast, when the Lt told the squad to report to the briefing room.  Hurrying to get down there I was the first to arrive, and took a set right in front so I could listen with easy.

 

The mission was simple.  The Valiant and along with an escort of ten war frigates would investigate reports of a raiding base in the area of Daggerfall.  If such a base was found, depending on how many enemy vessels were present, orders were to take it out if possible or wait for reinforcements.  The fighters would form a screen when entering the system and search the dense asteroid field for any base.  Finally we are going to strike back at this scum.

 

Preparations have been going on, all the time while we head toward the sector.  I barely have time to take a breath; we go from sim mission to sim mission, with breaks for eating and sleeping.  I can’t wait all we have been doing up until now is defense, defense, defense. 

 

The battle sirens sounded early this morning, we entered the sector.  Time to get to my fighter…

 

It was intense out there.  The fleet formed up and advanced slowly, my squad was given the task to go in the asteroid field and locate the raiders base.  At first everything was going pretty good.  I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have any targets to shot at but that didn’t last long.  When the squad along with another reached the field all hell broke out. 

 

The raiders had two full wings of interceptors hiding in the field.  Their capital ships were hidden behind a comet that was crossing the system.   We were outnumbered heavily around 10 to 1.  Orders were given to retreat but it wasn’t that simple the enemy was blocking the jump gate; we have no choice but to fight.  We dove into the asteroid belt.  Roids were all over the place. 

 

An enemy interceptor right behind me, luckily the pilot was not very good.  I skimmed one roid and he smack right into it.  The battle in the field was hard; I flew behind one roid popped up vaped   a raider, and then went back into cover as 5 more came at me.  My wingman was clipped.  Needless the enemy pilot didn’t last very long after he shot at my friend. 

 

While my squad did well in that battle the fleet didn’t do so well.  5 frigates were destroyed, and the Valiant was heavily damaged.  Over 30 fighters were lost to enemy fire; luckily we came back in one piece.

 

I’m happy to report that a week after the defeat the Valiant returned to that area, along with a larger, better equipped alliance fleet and destroyed the raiders base.  Also I made Second Lieutenant, and receive the Corellian Cross.

 

Even though the initial battle for Daggerfall was a loss, the raiders were shown that the alliance would not just let them do what the pleased.  After Daggerfall, Intel soon uncovered the location of every single base the raiders had as well as fleet compositions.  Over the next year the raiders lost base after base to alliance strikes. 

 

Battle for Excaliba

 

Excaliba was on the outer rim of the universe, and for many years the populace were slaves to Duke.  Then ten years ago a rebellion led by the slave Darth Selector.   The rebellion quickly ousted Duke’s cronies from the planet and began to rebuild from the devastation Duke’s control had caused.  Luckily for the planet Duke was busy elsewhere and the rebellion was able to build some defensive structures before his attention returned to that side of the galaxy.

 

It was five years before Duke once again eyed the planet and prepared to subjugate the people again.  By that time XWA was established and began to grow in military might, but they were not yet strong enough to repel Duke’s attack. 

 

Duke’s forces swept into the Excaliba system with a vengeance, pushing back the few defenders to the planetary defense system that was just set up.  For all intents and purposes the system was once again under his control, and he grew lax.  Instead of going for the kill Duke left his ships in orbit out of range of planetary batteries, to create despair in the populace.  However his attack didn’t create despair but resolve.

 

Excaliba had to hold out for a minimum of four months before a strong enough alliance forces could reach the planet.  The people began to build a fighter upon fighter so when help arrived Duke’s forces would be cornered.

 

Help didn’t reach in time when Duke went for the kill.  He landed a hundred thousands soldiers on the planet, and began a war of attrition.  Duke made on fatal mistake in his invasion.  He underestimated the resolve a people who have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

The invasion pushed back Darth Secltors soldiers to the capital, where they dug themselves in and prepared to die before losing any more ground.  The ground forces for Duke were poorly trained but outnumbered the defenders, but for each foot of ground they took twenty of them fell to every single dead defender.  Very soon Duke’s ground forces couldn’t push back the defenders and further, on the other hand the defenders couldn’t gain any ground either.  A stalemate ensued for three months.

 

There was light at the end of the Tunnel; Duke feeling that Excaliba will shortly fall to his ground troops with drew a large part of his fleet.  This allowed allied ships to go to Excaliba a month earlier then would have been possible.  The end of the third month allied fleet arrived in system.  The meager ships Duke had were quickly dispatched.  However there were Duke still had soldiers on the ground.

 

Three waves of drop ships were sent down to the planet, landing over two hundred thousand allied soldiers.  Duke’s paid mercenaries rather live then die serving the monster gave up when ever they were outnumbered.  Others committed suicide rather then face dishonor.  Even though they quickly gave up fighting on the ground lasted for another six months before the last the final remnants of the invaders were wiped from the planet.

 

After Duke’s defeat at Excaliba he gave up on the planet, but now he hated XWA for robbing him of slaves, and vowed vengeance against the alliance.  Excaliba was devastated by Duke and took many years to recover, but the people of the planet were an industrious people and quickly rebuilt and prospered from his treachery.  Today the planet is at peace and a leader in technology.

 

Operation Omega

 

After many years of fighting a sufficient military force was arrayed between allied worlds were Duke’s reign of terror could be brought to an end.  The armada that was to be sent to the home world of the hell spawn was vast, hundreds of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and millions of fighters.  Overall a hundred thousand ships were to be sent to clean the stain form the galaxy. 

 

A new technology was discovered a way to hide jump gates right up until the fleet emerged from them.  With this Duke could be taken by completely by surprised.  With the armada assembled at various locations coordinated to arrive at Gedi Minor, Duke’s planet from different areas and at the same time.  Admiral Messina to command of the forces from Tueton, Commodore Perry for the forces of New Coruscant, General Amidala for Delphi Thedes, and other commanders from the various worlds all under command of the Supreme Allied Commander or SAC, Lord Leto of Tueton.

 

When the armada reached Gedi Minor it was midnight in the capital city.  Duke was about to awake to a most unpleasant surprise.  Air raid sirens soon were blaring all over the planet calling for it’s military forces to defeat the attackers.  However many of the forces were lax from little work in defending and to much drinking, but they were still a formidable foe.

 

The first day of the attack was the worse.  The enemy had a large defensive fleet smaller than the armada but not by much.   Capital ships gave full broadside blast against each other while the fighters wove intricate designs that would have been beautiful had life and death not depended upon which flip, roll, or corkscrew would bring about an allied victory.

 

Enemy battleships soon formed a solid line to prevent any ship from reaching the planet, and landing ground forces.   Admiral Messina seeing this quickly used an age-old naval tactic called “crossing the T,” Having the battleships form up perpendicular to the enemy cruisers, the war ships arranged themselves to give full broadsides to the front of one enemy ship and the engines of another.  While the enemy ships could only fire with forward and rear facing guns.  For failure to predict this simple tactic, Duke executed the enemy commander. 

 

Since Duke couldn’t control his anger he left his forces without a competent commander, and so ended the first day of the battle.  The second day was easier with no commander the enemy forces were in confusion, aided in the fact that a rebellion began on the planet.  To further disrupt communications between groundside generals and front lines ships squad of raptors destroyed comm. Satellites.  The enemy started to retreat to the planet but the rebellion paralyzed all planetary defense batteries.  This ended the second day; the enemy was in an unorganized retreat, what every military commander wants.

 

The third day was met with a new tactic by the enemy fighters suicide runs, they took to ramming their fighters into allied ships hoping to stop or slow the advance.  This was largely ineffective due to the well-trained pilots the alliance had.  Even though raptor squads destroyed most of the suicide fighters, the enemy still took down four battleships and 5 frigates. 

 

One particular Raptor pilot, Lieutenant Kevin Jedis was chasing down an enemy fighter intent of ramming a medical frigate.  After dispatching that foe he soon discovered another fighter just about to ram the medical frigate.  Dumping all power into his engines Jedis reached the enemy fighter and without hesitation rammed him.  Killing both the suicide fighter and himself.  He gave his life so that others may live, for his action in Operation Omega Second Lieutenant Kevin Jedis was posthumously awarded the newly created Medal of Honor, the highest award the alliance has.

 

The enemy capital ships easily fell to the spiders, which were clear to attack once the enemy fighters were gone.  Crews from such ships as the Valiant and other war cruisers boarded the war ships that didn’t fall to fire or the spiders.

 

With the final ships destroyed allied forces got ready to start the ground war when a signal was sent to the Nova, flagship of the armada.  The rebellion had succeeded; the planet was free of Duke.  Lord Leto wanted Duke to put him on trial ask for him only to discover that a blast had destroyed his palace during the fighting and he was presumed dead.  After combat engineers viewed the wreckage of his palace it was decided no one could have survived, and then the fleet left Gedi Minor.

 

The entire armada returned to Tueton, were they were meet with parades, ceremonies, gratitude, and medals given out.  After the celebrations the individual fleets the comprised the armada were sent back to their respective planets where even more celebration awaited them.  However the victory was not without cost, many brave soles died in the fighting.  Leaving mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and children mourning for the loss of loved ones, but proud that they had died serving a just cause.

 

The day where Duke fell from power was turned into of remembrance for soldiers like Lieutenant Kevin Jedis and others who fought and died in the service of freedom and Justice.  Operation Omega was a bittersweet victory, Duke was killed but to bring him to justice cost many lives, but if he was allowed to continue many more lives would have been destroyed and more worlds plundered.